Letter-box



(No Model.)

E'. T. TAYLOR.

LETTER B0X.-

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N. PETERS Ptmlvulhognpkr. Washington. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FANNIE TAYLOR TAYLOR, OF MAMARONFK, NEW YORK.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 103,7 90, dated May 21, 1889.

Application tiled January 29, 1889. Serial No. 298,019. (No model.)

To tZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FANNIE TAYLOR TAY- LOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mamaroneck, in the county of Testchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention more especially relates to boxes for receiving and containing packages, newspapers, dre.; but I propose to provide an opening in the box for the admission of letters, and to divide the box into one compartment for letters and another for packages, so that they may be collected separately if so desired.

The object of the first part of my invention is to so construct the box that mail-matter may be conveniently inserted and removed.

To this end my invention consists in providing an opening at the top of the box having a hin ged lid, and providing the box with a hinged bottom from which the mail-matter may be withdrawn.

The object of the next part of my invention is to protect the opening through which parcels, &c., are delivered, so that mail-matter may not be withdrawn from the box by unauthorized persons.

To this end my invention consists in providing a series of sharp-pointed hinged rods normally held by spring action to bring the sharp-pointed ends together, but which readily yield and permit mail-matter to be inserted from the outside and delivered into the box.

The obj ect of the next part ot' my invention is to so arrange the box that large packages or parcels may be inserted in one part of the box, while letters are delivered in another part separated from the first part, and in arranging the bottom of the box so that mail-matter may be readily withdrawn from both compartments.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a lamp-post with my improved box applied, showing the ordinary letter-box attached to the post. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of my improved box. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the box, partly in section, and showing the movable parts open. Fig. 4t is a detail view showing one of the sharppointed spring-actuated rods which guard the opening in the top of the box. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the annular coiled spring used in connection with the pointed guard-bars.

The box A is shown in the drawings as cylindrical; but it may, of course, be square, polygonal, or of any desired shape. As shown in Fig. l, it is secured to the lamp-post, preferably, by rings or tie-rods a, and if a supplemental letter-box, X, is used said box may be secured to the same lamp-post by tie-rods 0c between the tic-rods a. The top of the box A is provided with a top piece, B, which is riveted to the upright body portion of the box in any suitable way. Acentral opening, l), is formed in the top of the box, and over this opening is a lid or cover, O, hinged at c to the top of the box and provided with alip or lug, c', which prevents the lid or cover being opened too far, so that when a package has been inserted in the box and the lid is released it will return to its normal position to cover the opening in the box. The lid or cover C is also provided with a lug or handpiece, c2, by means of which the lid may be lifted. The opening b is for the admission of newspapers, packages, &c. I preferably make a supplemental opening, d, in the front of the box and provide it with a lid, D. Through this opening letters may be inserted. In order to separate the letters from the larger packages, I divide the box into two parts, Y and Z. The compartment Y is made by forming a casing, y, having an inclined top, y', hinged at y2 to the interior of the case A. The bottom of the casing y is provided with a forwardly-projecting nose, @/3, which tits into a notch or recess, @/4, in the front end of the box. On the lower side of the bottom piece I preferably attach a knob, g5, so that theletter-box may be swung back, as indicated in Fig. 3, and allow its contents to be removed. The main casing A is provided with a hinged bottom, A', and on its front end is hinged a shackle, E, which is made right angular, and which, when the bottom is closed, its over a staple, c, which also receives a padlock, F. By this construction both compartments of the box are securely closed. When the box is opened, the contents of the compartmentZ may be removed, and when removed the coinpartment Y may be opened and its contents removed by swinging back the case y, as indi- IOO cated in Fig. 3. The opening d for the reception of letters is so small that the contents of the compartment Y cannot be disturbed; but the opening to the compartment Z at the top is necessarily so large that an unauthorized person could but for my improvements tamper with the contents of the box. To avoid this I provide a series of flat, sharp-pointed rods, G, hinged to the under side of the top B in lugs g, formed thereon around the edge of the opening b.

Qn the rear sides of the guard-rods Gr are secured pins g', and between these pins, around the' outer faces of the rods, is arranged an annular coiled spring, H, of sufiicient tension to normally hold the sharp-pointed lower ends of the guard-rods close to each other, as indicated in Fig. 2. Pressure exerted on the rods, as when a package is inserted, overcomes the tension of the spring and permits the package to fall into the box. By arranging the opening in the top of the box packages, when inserted, will pass through by gravity or with very slight additional force. If the opening were in the side of the box, my improved guard device would not work so well, as it would tend to clamp the package and prevent its entrance into the conipartment Z.

rMy improved letter-box may be made at small expense. It is secure and fully protects its contents in every respect.

So far as part of my invention is concerned, the box may have but one compartment and letters and packages be assembled together.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the letter-box divided 4o into two compartments and fhaving an opening at the top for the reception of packages, &c., an opening at the side for the reception of letters, an opening at the bottom through which mail-matter from both compartments may be taken, a bottom piece hinged to the lower end of the box and closing the deliveryopening therein, and covers or lids for the openings in the top and side of the box.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the outer casing, the inner casing hinged to the outer casing, the bottom piece of the outer casing hinged to its lower end, said inner casing having an inclined top, and the outer casing being provided at the top with an opening for the reception of parcels and at the side with an opening for the reception of letters.

3. The combination, .substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a letter-box having an opening in its top, a lid to cover said opening, and a series of hinged spring-actuated sharppointed guard-bars within the box around its opening.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the letterbox having an opening in its top, the sharp-pointed guardbars arranged around said opening, the lugs to which the guard-bars are hinged, the pins projecting from the rear faces of they guardbars, and the annular coiled spring embracing the guard-bars between the pins and normally holding the sharp-pointed lower ends of the guard-bars together.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

FANNIE TAYLOR TAYLOR. v

Witnesses:

JOHN F. FosHAY, GILBERT BRILL. 

